Machine for applying and cutting adhesive tape



H. J. VACHON Feb. 3, 1959 MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND CUTTING ADHESIVE TAPE 2 sheets-saw; 1

Filed Nov. 18, 1957 [WWW H. J. VACHON Feb. 3, 1959 MACHINE FOR APPLYING AND CUTTING ADHESIVE TAPE Filed NOV. 18, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MACHINE FOR APPLYENG AND CUTTING ADHESIVE TAPE Hubert J. Vachon, Lynn, Mass., assignor to Boston Ma chine Works Company, Lynn, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application November 18, 1957, Serial No. 697,017

1 Claim. (Cl. 1259.5)

This invention relates to a machine for pulling adhesive tape from a roll of such tape, applying the tape to the back seam. of a shoe upper, .or equivalent work piece, and automatically cutting the tape so that the cut end of the portion applied to the back seam of an upper will be spaced a predetermined distance from the trailing end of the same. The machine performs substantially the same function as that described and illustrated in my U. S. Patent No. 2,755,492, granted July 24, 1956, but with a construction that is simpler and more reliable, particularly when operated rapidly.

For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the following description thereof, and to the drawings, of which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a perspective view, on a larger scale part of the mechanism shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section on the line 44 of Figure 3; V

Figure 5 is a fragmentary front elevation of the switch operating mechanism viewed as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a fragmentary perspective view of a shoe upper after a strip of tape has been applied to the back seam;

Figure 7 is an elevation of a portion of the mechanism shown in Figure 1, with a work piece being introduced thereto;

Figure 8 is a similar elevation showing the work piece about to complete its course through the machine;

Figure 9 is a fragmentary section on the line 99 of Figure 7; V

Figure 10 is a. fragmentary section on the line 10-10 of Figure 8;

Figure 11 is a fragmentary section on the line 11-11 of Figure 8; and

Figure 12 is a fragmentary section, on a larger scale, on the line 12-12 of Figure 7.

The machine as shown in Figure 1 includes a mai frame 30 on which is carried a pair of feed rolls 32 and 34. The upper feed roll 32 is provided with teeth 36 extending around its circumference to grip the work as it is passing between the feed rolls. The lower roll 34 is provided with a circumferential groove 38 (Figure 9) to receive the back seam 40 of a shoe upper 42 and to press against this scam a strip of tape 44 which is coated with an adhesive on one face thereof. If the work pieces are other than seamed shoe uppers, the peripheries of the feed rolls are shaped accordingly. 1

The feed roll 32 is mounted on a shaft 46 which is journalled in the main frame 30 and is constantly driven by any suitable means (not shown). The roll 34 is an idle roll journalled in the upper end of an upright 48 which is rockably mounted at its lower end on a block 50. Rockable with the upright 48 is a lever 52 the upper end of which is attached by a link 54 to the short arm ofa atent of a bell-crank 56. The long arm of the crank projects upward (Figure 1) and is'manually operated to swing the upright 48 toward the right so as to move the feed roll 34 clear of the feed roll 32 when it is desired to 0-perate on the back seam of the shoe upper. In most cases the shoe upper is in the form of a closed loop which must be placed over the upright 48 so that when the back seam has passed through between the feed rolls 32 and 34, the upper will then be free.

The adhesive tape 44 is drawn from a roll 58 carried by a suitable bracket 60 which extends upward on the main frame 30. The tape leads through an upper detent 62 which is mounted at the end of a rocking lever 68 past a guide 66 on the main frame and a guide 68 on a vertical slide bar .70 to a lower detent 72 carried at the lower end of the bar 70. A tension spring 71 attached to the rock lever 64 tends to pull the slide bar 70 downward between a fixed guide element 73 on one side of the slide bar and an adjustable lug 81 on the other side, the guide element and the lug being mounted on the main frame 30. The detent 72 is preferably a light leaf spring bearing against a knurled guide roll 74 mounted at the lower end of a bar 70. The rocking lever 64 is pivoted as at 76 to the main frame so that when the lever 64 is rocked, the bar 70 is raised'and lowered together with the guide 68 and guide roll 74 mounted thereon. The normal position of the bar 70 is shown in Figure l, the knurled roll 74 being adjacent to the nip of the feed rolls 32 and 34 and just below the level of a fixed knife 80 which is mounted on the main frame.

When a work piece has been fed through between the feed rolls 32 and 34, the bar 70 is raised by the rocking lever 64 to lift the knurled roll 74 above the level of the knife 80 (Figure 8).

slide bar is in its lowered position as shown in Figures 1 and 7. When the slide bar 70 is raised by energization of a solenoid 75, the armature 77 of which is attached to the rock lever 64, the lug 81 can enter a recess 83 in the edge of the slide bar 70, permitting the slide bar to swing to the left by the tension on the tape 44, as indicated in Figure 8, thus bringing the portion of the tape between the knurled roll 74 and the nip of the feed rolls 32 and 34 strongly against the edge of the knife 80 which is preferably serrated as indicated in Figure 12 so that the tape is thus severed. Whenever the rocking lever 64 is rocked to raise the bar 70, the upper end of the lever on which the upper detent 62 is mounted swings downward thus pulling some slack tape 44 loose from the roll 58. When the lever 64 rocks back to the position shown in Figure 1 this slack hangs in a loop and can be drawn through the detents 62 and 72 with very little resistance.

A suitable guide 82 for the work piece is mounted on the upright 48. This guide is curved as indicated in Figure 1 so that its upper end is close to the periphery of the feed roll 34 and is triangular in cross-section (Figure 9). Cooperating with the guide 82 are guides 84 and 85 which are mounted on a vertical rod 88. This rod slides through hearings in a bracket which is secured to or is a part of the main frame. The guides 84 and 85 are adapted to engage the sides of the back seam 40 on a shoe upper so as to keep the seam aligned with the tape passing over the roll 74. These guides are resilient and are adjust-ably spaced apart by a thumb screw 92.

The bracket 90 includes two bearing blocks 94 and 96 through which the rod 88 and another rod 98 slidably extend. A fork 100 on the rod 88 straddles a fixed pin 102 on the block 94 to keep the guides 84 and 85 properly oriented. A spring 104 is compressed between the,

Patented Feb. 3, 1959 The lug 81 bears against 1 an edge of the slide bar 70 and keeps the knurled roll 74 in front of and spaced from the knife 80 when the block 96 and a collar 106cm the rod 88 to hold the guides 84 and 85-yieldingly down.

Between the guides 84 and 85 is the nose 108 on an arm of a U-shaped trigger 110 which is adjustably secured v by its other arm'112 to the lower end'of the IOdiQSi The lower end" is slotted and screw-threaded to"receivesaid other arm which is clamped'in-theslotby aknurl'edinut When-the nut 114is-loosened;-the-triggercan'be adjusted towardorfromthe nipioffthe feed rolls 32-and Near theupper end of the 1' Cd98"iSfi5(Cd a member 116 carryingafinger 1-18 whiehfisadapted to engage and press the-button 1280f amicro-switch 122: Thelatter' is inseries with the-soleneid 75 so thatwhenthe-switch 122 is'closed, the solenoid isgenergized; and when theswitch is open,- the solenoid'is deenergized. The-member 116 has-a lateral forked projection 124-straddling a pin 1Z6 fixed in the 'braeket9tl to keep-the trigger-110 properly oriented. The'rod- 98 andthe parts carried thereby are pressed downward-by a-spring 130 which encircles the rod-between the block9'4-anda collar 132fixed'on the rod.

The operation of the mechanism has follows.- the back seamofa-shoe upper is ad'vanced'on the guide 82 between theguides 84-and85, it pushes the nose 108 of-the trigger upward; thus-raising the finger' 118 from the switch 122 and-oausing'the -switeh to open.

the guide rolls74 carried thereby' take the position-illustrated in Figuresl and 7 and remain in sue-h POSltlOIIWhli the back seam is advancingbetween the guide 82 and the nose 108. When the -backseammoves beyond thenose This deenergizes the solenoid 75' so'that theslidebar70- and" 108, the latter is';no longer supported thereby and drops to the position shown in Figure 8. This results-in the closing of theswitchel'ZZ'andthe energization of the solenoid 72.

The-lever- 64is-rocked to raise the slide bar and guide roll 74 to the-positionshown in-Figure -8', exposing thetape'to'contact'with the knife 80. As the leading por tion ofthetapeis being pulledby the-feed ro'l1s323and" 34', it is drawn strongly againstthe knife and is severed thereby. Ordinarily itis desirable that the severed end of the cut-off piece of tape be spaced from the adjacent end of the back seam 40,-as-indicated in Figure 6; Theextent of this spacingwill depend on how far the end of the seam40 is from the nip of the feed rolls when thetape is cut. Hence the extent of the spacing can be determined by adjusting "the trigger toward or fromtral'ring is flanked bytwo rubber'rings:136 and138 which provide frictional traction for'the-portions ofthe upper adjacent to the seam.

' I claim:

In a tape applyingmachine, a frame,.a driven feedv roll supported by saidframe for constant'rotation about a fixed axis, an idle feed roll, support means for said idle roll operable to move said idle roll to and.fr.om

tangential engagement with said-drivenroll, a guidemem- 4 ber for'work pieces mountedon said'support means adjacent'to the periphery of said idle roll; a trigger mounted" adjacent tosaidguide member and movable from said? guide. member bY'thQiDSCIIlOHIOfYa work piece "between saidtrigger andsaid'guidemernber, an electric switch operable by movement of said trigger, a-solenoid con trolled by said-switch; an'armature in1said' solenoid; a" rock lever mounted on said frame; means" operatively' connecting said rock lever to said armature'to 'he rocked by energization of said solenoid; a'slide'bar-attached'to and operable by said rock lever; means on'said frame for supporting-a roll of tape and guiding-the tapeto thenip'. of said feed rolls, saidguidingmeansiincludingaroll mounted on-said'slide adjacent to-the nip of said'feed rolls and adapted to be raised by said slidewhen the solenoid isenergized; said=trigger being'adjustable toward and from said nip of the feedrolls and"adapted-"toTide on a workpiece moving'on said'guide-member, and means on said frameoperating'when'saidguiderell is raised to sever the tape near the nip of said" feed rolls:

References Cited in the file of this-patent" v UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,652,166

' Johnson 2,736,047 Roske Q. Feb. 28, 1956" 2,755,492 Vachon July 24,, 1956 ept: 15'; 1953 t 

